Bite and Booze by Jay D. Ducote

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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Jay D's Bites: Oven Roasted BBQ Butter Turkey Breast

by Aimee Tortorich

Fall in Louisiana is my favorite time of the year. Cool weather, LSU Football, outdoor festivals, and harvest season are enough to inspire any person to spend time in the kitchen. This week I decided to focus on the protein of fall: turkey. Our friend, Galen Iverstine of the newly open Iverstine Butcher donated a beautiful free-range turkey to our team last week, so it was the perfect time to create a new recipe. Turkey always tends to turn out dry because of the leanness of the meat, so I always like to brine my turkey before I cook it. For this recipe, I brined the breasts overnight, then created a nice BBQ butter using Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub. The balance of spicy, sweet and smoky flavors definitely paired well with the natural flavors of turkey. Check out my recipe below and be sure to impress your friends this season!

Place water in a small sauce pot and heat to simmer. Whisk in salt, sugar and spices allowing them to dissolve, then turn off heat. Transfer cooled brine to bowl or zip lock bag. Add turkey breast, making sure to completely cover, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

For BBQ Butter:

½ lb unsalted butter
½ cup Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub

Combine butter & rub in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Once melted, stir and reduce to simmer.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle both sides with rub. Place the turkey breast skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast the turkey for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, while basting with the BBQ butter every 15-20 minutes. Turkey is ready when the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers at 165 F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest area of the breast. If the skin starts to over-brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil and allow to finish cooking. Once the turkey is done, transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest 15 minutes before slicing diagonally on the bias. Serve with the pan juices from the bottom of the roasting pan.